The 3 Most Important Letters You Will Never Send

Over the past few weeks I’ve been encouraging you to really show up for yourself in a whole new way this year. On social media and in my newsletter I’ve been asking that you make this the year you do the inner work, foster the relationship you have with yourself, and create lasting change in your life from the inside out. Over the next few blog posts I’ll be sharing some of my favorite exercises and tips to help you do just that, starting with the three letters you MUST write in order to kick off the process.

Head to a quiet space, light a candle, grab your journal, typewriter, quill pen, whatever, and write the three most important letters you will never send.

1. A letter to your younger self

Remember the little girl you used to be who would dance in the living room in her underwear? The girl who would eat her chicken tenders without remorse and rock any bathing suit at the pool without a care in the world? Grab a picture of little you if you can, and look at it closely. Think about the girl who had all the self-confidence in the world because she hadn’t been told that she wasn’t good enough yet. The young girl who hadn’t yet received the message that she needed to fit a certain mold in order to be worthy. What do you want to tell your younger self? What words of wisdom, love, and encouragement does she need to hear?

2. A letter from your future self

Close your eyes. It’s January 2nd, 2039. Twenty years have passed and you’re reflecting on the last two decades. What does your life look like? What have you accomplished? How is your relationship with food and your body? What have you overcome and healed in two decades to get you where you want to go? How does that feel? Where are you sitting? What is around you? Who is in your life? Get specific. Go big on this one and don’t hold back, the sky is the limit to what you can accomplish.

3. A letter of gratitude to your body

Finally, the most important letter you can write. Hang this one up on your mirror and read it often. Write a letter of gratitude for your body. List all the amazing things she* does for you every day. What has she carried you through in this lifetime? How has she been there for you? Take note of her resiliency, her inherent wisdom, and her unique beauty as you write. Thank her for all she’s helped you accomplished, her shape and markings, and her millions of functions.

Your relationship with food is a mirror to your relationship with yourself, so naturally we have to start there in order to make a change. Another diet won’t solve your problems. You won’t find happiness at the bottom of a Nutella jar. The only way to make peace with your plate is through unconditional love for yourself. So go on, grab your journal and get started.

*I like to use she/her when referring to my body to make it more personal than “it,” but feel free to use whatever pronoun resonates with you.